Great run!!

The following were the other contenders for the title of this blog
- Two Thumbs Up Washington D.C.
- An account of stupidity
- It was a breeze ;)
- The M-files, Asha SV chapter

It took 3 years to recreate my first marathon experience of NYC in '04. The crowd was fabulous!! And the marines were awesome. It had been a downhill marathon experience after the run in NYC but DC was as close to it as possible (both in distance and experience). Very glad to have run it. 5 stars for the organizers and the weather Gods.

Frankly, I owe one Biiig thanks to my body for keeping up for the last 2-3 months. So, when I started the marathon itself, I was not sure how long before one of my injuries showed up. I had my fingers crossed. And it was one fun roller coaster of a ride. The fact that I ended up with a 5:20 time when I was looking for something like 4:20 will not take away the sheer joy of completing my toughest challenge so far. This was one marathon where I completely utilized all the pre-marathon best wishes.

They say the real marathon starts at mile-20. Uh oh, mine started at mile-10! I started out slow, the fact that the first mile was uphill helped that bit but it was difficult to control the pace. It was like up-a-mile and down-a-mile. It was fun - I liked the downhill part of it. :) Few miles into this up&down business, my feet did not like it. I could feel it. I remembered Shraddha say "Listen to your body," and I was watching closely for the signals. Mile 4 was my first photo-op: host and friend Srikanth on the Key Bridge. Milestone #1. :)

I was motoring along, trying to use my hands as much as possible. It was around mile 8 or 9ish that my both feet began to hurt (heel of my left foot, ball of my right foot). And I had figured the end was near. And that this was going to be a disaster. So, I consciously was not putting too much effort. Took 2min walk breaks instead of my 30-second break. Some time before mile 10, my left calf started cramping and I of course did not know what to expect in the remaining 16miles!! It was not even half-way there! How am I even going to walk it all off?!!

At mile 10, I stopped. I walked a mile. Monitored my legs. And slowly started running. The 2-minute walk breaks became 2-minute run breaks! And I began to think of what Moningi said "If it is too difficult, think about us" (undergrad friends). I sure did. After mile 11 were first signs of life (Asha company) - Raman and Nitin passed me, looking very strong. Aaah.. good. I am not lost. And boy, the weather was awesome. Gentle breeze and sunshine. I remember thinking to myself, what a shame if I have to walk all the way through the rest of the marathon in such perfect weather for running. I picked up running and kept running until I felt like. At this point, I was just enjoying my time out there, running through the DC attractions - Federal Reserve, Washington Monument, to name a few. After a few slow miles the halfway mark arrived - wow! It was amazing! 13.1mi. now, that is a good distance to run. :) Milestone #2.

It was such a perfect weather for golf too, actually. And running around the course was just not justice. Past the halfway mark, when we were going around the golf course was not great fun. Not too much crowd, not too barren either - there was this occasional orange or a banana. hats off to DC crowd, really. However, I enjoyed my stroll on the grass. I thought I better use it to reduce the stress on my feet. I became part of 'the cheering crowd' and did my bit to some Asha folks and other runners. I was not tired for that. Only my feet hurt. Then, there was another milestone. I saw Coach Martina and Deepu. Milestone #3. Go Martina!! I tried to keep up with them until mile 19 or 'Beat the Bridge' - one of the cut-off points. Felt like.. oh.. now, we can walk this off. And still get a medal. :) Martina and Deepu took off, and I followed behind at my place.

Just under the bridge (frankly I don't know what was a bridge and what was a freeway there) was G3 vehemently cheering and running around with a 'Go Asha' placard. She was just jumping around trying to catch my attention. When she did, it was a big boost of energy. That part - let's call it bridge - was one thing I did not need. A gradual uphill, and I was looking for my other friends (they were friends until yesterday) who were supposed to show up and cheer for me. Didn't find them. But found Anusha. Good job you guys. Seeing G3, Anusha and the rest of the cheering squad see us through mile 19 - Milestone #4.

That mile was 'the' longest 'mile'!! Between 19-mile and 21-mile marker. I used up my sister's wishes, fighting with all my might. But I did not realize the next mile was the second-longest ;). That was because we were running alongside runners coming in the other direction - only problem was that the anticipation of the turn around point was sapping us of the energy. mile 22 was right at the turnaround point. Just 4 more miles to go! Impressive. Now, I was just looking for familiar faces. I was thinking to myself that coach Char and Madhu should be around and I should be seeing them before I completed that 2-mile loop. And I saw them just as I was beginning to get worried! Just as I was nearing mile 23, they crossed mile 21. "Yes coach, I am doing fine." - Milestone #5.

The last few miles, I had enough to keep me going. Plenty of crowd support and the feeling that I would do fine with my feet took me through to the finish line for some more photo ops. :) Veena and G3 capturing my last mile burst (well, not really a burst) and Srikanth providing coverage towards the finish line. The last mile was a real teaser. Half-mile gradual slope out and then back again with a steep ascent right at the very end. FUN. I just tagged along one VT girl and managed the mile non-stop and also a small sprint at the end. Good finish! End of my race!! I had to dig in to my deepest mental reserves to complete it. I remember telling Raman around mile 11 that I was going to stop. I couldn't have imagined this kind of a finish then. Somehow, it was possible. I don't know how! Here is my story in numbers.

The medal is the biggest I have seen so far! All-in-all, it was a great race for me and I was on my feet at the end of it, with no cramps. Took some pictures, went back to the charity tent, had some samosas and sandwiches, got a nice massage, and missed the Asha group picture!

All through the past few months, I wondered how stupid of me to attempt what I was doing. And that maybe I was not ready for it. Why all this?!! Maybe it was not needed. Maybe I was pushing myself. Maybe. In the end, it was fun. Lot of fun. Thanks everyone!! Cheers. Happy reading, and happy recovery! I am off to the pool!!

The summit (Arlington Cemetry):

On February 23, 1945, the fifth day of the battle of Iwo Jima, Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal reflexively shot a photograph that has since attained iconic status. The picture captured, in silhouette, six soldiers struggling to hoist, on top of Mount Suribachi, an American flag they had tied onto a flagpole improvised out of a water pipe.